When companies ask us about “competitive intelligence” our first question is usually “how do you define competition?”

At Grail, we have experience at looking beyond established and traditional competitors: 

• Emerging competitors and new entrants – as new entrants these players often have little to lose and are therefore most willing to create and adopt disruptive models of acquiring and serving customers
• Offshore competition – Both product and services companies with different regulatory and economic environments may have substantial competitive advantages in entering and serving local markets
• Self-service customers – Customers are increasingly evaluating internal “do-it-ourselves” options or “do nothing” which are sometimes the largest (and most difficult to measure) forms of competition
• Illegal competition (e.g., piracy) – Not everyone plays by the rules and in many markets unfair competition is the most important market to understand